Superparamagnetic Contribution Research Articles

Calcination temperature dependence of tri-magnetic nanoferrite Ni0.33Cu0.33Zn0.33Fe2O4: Structural, morphological, and magnetic properties

The calcination temperature plays a pivotal role in determining the physical and magnetic properties of ferrite nanoparticles, influencing their performance and applicability in various applications. In this study, Ni0.33Cu0.33Zn0.33Fe2O4 nano ferrites were produced using the coprecipitation method and subsequently calcined at different temperatures, specifically 500 °C, 550 °C, 600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of cubic spinel ferrite phase (Fd-3m) and revealed an increase in crystallite size from 12.84 to 20.19 nm as the calcination temperature increased from 500 °C to 700 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis provided insights into chemical oxidation states. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images revealed that at higher calcination temperatures, nanoparticles tend to aggregate. This aggregation is associated with an observable rise in particle size, increasing from 18.16 to 29.11 nm for nanoparticles calcined at 500 °C and 700 °C, respectively. Energy-dispersive X-ray confirmed pure elemental compositions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy identified red and blue shifts in wavenumbers corresponding to tetrahedral and octahedral group complexes, respectively. Nanoparticles calcined at 700 °C exhibited the highest saturation magnetization (62.642 emu/g) and coercivity (75.27 G), as revealed from the vibrating sample magnetometry analysis. Upon increasing the calcination temperature from 500 °C to 700 °C, the ferromagnetic contribution was improved from 24.26% to 98.64% along with a reduction in superparamagnetic contribution from 75.74% to 1.34%, respectively. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study showed an increase in the values of g and ΔHpp with the rise in calcination temperature. This observation suggests an enhancement in dipole–dipole interactions. Furthermore, a linear relationship was discovered between the g factor and crystallite size, inducting the formation of single domain. Finally, altering the calcination temperature adjusted the physical and magnetic properties of Ni0.33Cu0.33Zn0.33Fe2O4 nanoparticles. This adjustment indicates their potential for versatile applications, particularly in hyperthermia treatment and as T2 contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging.

Size dependent structural and magnetic properties of Co(1−x) Nix Cr2O4 nanoparticles (x = 0.15, 0.20)

This study examines the structural and magnetic characteristics of Co(1−x)NixCr2O4 (x = 0.15, 0.20) compounds synthesised using the co-precipitation technique and calcined at 500 °C and 900 °C respectively. X-ray diffraction studies reveal the structure of the synthesized samples is face-centered cubic with space group Fd-3m. The particle sizes and morphology were examined by using transmission electron microscopy, and the size ranges from 64 ± 10 nm to 105 ± 15 nm for the 900 °C and 7 ± 2 and 8 ± 2 nm for the 500 °C calcined samples. Field-cooling and zero-field-cooling magnetization measurement protocols were used to investigate the materials' magnetic characteristics. The Curie temperature (TC) decreases from 91 ± 0.5 K to 85 ± 0.3 K as the Ni concentration increases from x = 0.15–0.20. Additionally, an increase in the TC value is seen for both compositions when the particle size is decreased. Spiral ordering is observed at a transition temperature TS for the samples calcined at 900 °C, while no evidence for TS was seen for samples calcined at 500 °C. Magnetization measurements as a function of field, Mμ0H, at several constant temperatures, show that the coercivity reduces with an increase in temperature in all samples. The Co(1−x)NixCr2O4 (x = 0.15, 0.20) samples calcined at 900 °C exhibit superparamagnetic behaviour with a small ferrimagnetic hysteresis loop. Furthermore, this paper evaluates the contribution of ferrimagnetic, superparamagnetic, and paramagnetic phases to the total Mμ0H curve for Co(1−x)NixCr2O4 (x = 0.15, 0.20) calcined at 900 °C through simulation. In addition, a modified Langevin simulation, incorporating a particle size distribution term, is performed for the Co(1−x)NixCr2O4 (x = 0.15, 0.20) samples calcined at 500 °C. From the simulations, it is clear that all samples show evidence of significant superparamagnetic contributions to the total saturation magnetization because of the small particles present.

Selected properties of surface modified GaxFe3-xO4 with 0≤x≤1.5

ABSTRACT The influence of the surface modification on the magnetism of 4–14 nm sized core and core/shell gallium ferrites obtained by different preparation methods (Massart’s and thermal decomposition from acetylacetonates) was studied. The physical properties of GaxFe3-xO4 were investigated in a wide range of Ga admixtures 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5. Ga ions location at 8a or/and 16d positions of a spinel structure depends on the synthesis method and has a pronounced effect on the superparamagnetic properties of nanoparticles. Magnetization and Mössbauer experiments show the dominant superparamagnetic contribution for the nanoparticles with x > 0.8 with the blocking temperature TB significantly below 200 K. Surface-modified nanoferrites disclosed spontaneous magnetization that does not exceed 60 emu/g.

Controlled dislocation density as enhancer of the magnetic response in multiferroic oxide nanoparticles

We report on the application of cryomilling for the synthesis of oxide ceramics nanoparticles with controlled dislocation densities using the rhombohedral BiFeO3 compound as a model system. Multiferroic BiFeO3 nanoparticles were prepared with controlled crystallite size, micro-strain and dislocation density. After milling for 150 min the average crystallite size is reduced to 23 nm, the levels of micro-strain increased to 1.2 % and the dislocation density reaches 1.7×1013cm−2. This shows that the cryomilling promotes the nanostructuration of the samples and the introduction of atomic defects such as dislocations. In addition we found an enhancement of the magnetic properties resulting from a combination of the presence of small nanoparticles and uncompensated spins along the dislocation lines. The isothermal magnetization measurements showed a weak-ferromagnetic behavior with 0.58 emu/g at 15 kOe at room temperature. Mössbauer spectroscopy ruled out the formation of Fe2+ ions and also revealed the presence of a superparamagnetic contribution. The control of crystallite size along with dislocation density in BiFeO3 is proposed as a powerful tool for tuning its magnetic properties.

Low-Frequency Dynamic Magnetic Susceptibility of Antiferromagnetic Nanoparticles with Superparamagnetic Properties

As is known, the multi-sublattice structure of antiferromagnets (AFMs) entails that, under size diminution to the nanoscale, compensation of the sublattice magnetizations becomes incomplete. Due to that, the nanoparticles acquire small, but finite permanent magnetic moments. An AC field applied to such particles induces their magnetic response, the measurement of which is well within the sensitivity range of the experimental technique. Given the small size of the particles, their magnetodynamics is strongly affected by thermal fluctuations, so that their response bears a considerable superparamagnetic contribution. This specific feature is well-known, but usually is accounted for at the estimation accuracy level. Herein, a kinetic model is proposed to account for the magnetic relaxation of AFM nanoparticles, i.e., the processes that take place in the frequency domain well below the magnetic resonance band. Assuming that the particles possess uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, the expressions for the principal components of the both linear static and dynamic susceptibilities are derived, yielding simple analytical expressions, including those for the case of a random distribution of the particle axes.

Competing Magnetic Interactions in Inverted Zn-Ferrite Thin Films

Zn-ferrite is a versatile material among spinels owing to its physicochemical properties, as demonstrated in rich phase diagrams, with several conductive or magnetic behaviors dictated by its cation inversion. The strength and the type of cation inversion can be manipulated through the various thermal treatment conditions. In this study, inverted Zn-ferrite thin films prepared from radio frequency magnetron sputtering were subjected to different in situ (in vacuum) and ex situ (in air) annealing treatments. The temperature and field dependence of magnetization behaviors reveal multiple magnetic interactions compared to its bulk antiferromagnet behavior. Using the magnetic component model, the different magnetic interactions can be explained in terms of superparamagnetic (SPM), paramagnetic (PM), and ferrimagnetic (FM) contributions. At low temperatures, the SPM and FM contributions can be approximated to the hard and soft ferrimagnetic phases of Zn-ferrite, respectively, which changes with the annealing temperature and sputter power. Distinct magnetic properties emanating from in situ annealing compared to the ex situ annealing were ascribed to the nonzero Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio, leading to the different magnetic interactions. The anisotropy was found to be the key parameter that governs the behavior of annealed in situ samples.

Tuning specific loss power of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles by changing surfactant concentration in a combined co-precipitation and thermal decomposition method

New synthetic approaches of nanoparticles (NPs) can be used for magnetic hyperthermia, destroying malignant cells without damaging healthy tissues. Here, a combination of co-precipitation and thermal decomposition techniques was employed to synthesize monodisperse CoFe2O4 NPs. A mixture of oleylamine and oleic acid with different concentrations was utilized as a surfactant, significantly changing magnetic, morphological and structural properties of the NPs. Increasing the surfactant concentration from 1 to 7.5 mmol resulted in maximum and minimum coercivity and saturation magnetization of 420.0 Oe 73.6 emu/g, and 67.2 Oe and 48.3 emu/g, respectively, arising from the prevention of agglomeration and reduction in crystallite size. The first-order reversal curve analysis was employed to clarify the role of the surfactant in magnetic distributions and detailed characteristics. The specific loss power of the NPs was found to be tuned for the different surfactant concentrations, achieving a maximum of 268.5 W/g at 7.5 mmol for CoFe2O4 NPs with enhanced superparamagnetic contribution in Néel and Brownian mechanisms. MTT assay of the NPs was also carried out, indicating their low cytotoxicity.

Fabrication, structural and magnetic behavior of novel one-dimensional Fe2MnGa nanostructures

Well aligned Fe2MnGa nanowires (NWs) have been synthesized through low cost and versatile electrochemical deposition technique with constant stirring during the growth process in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The average diameter is 50 nm and the lengths up to a few micrometers have been confirmed through morphological analysis. The NWs are found to be in body centered cubic structure with (220) preferred orientation. The magnetic behavior has been investigated at room temperature (RT) as well as at low temperatures. The dominant shape anisotropy compelled the preferable magnetization axis to be in axial direction of NWs. Angular dependence of coercivity shows coherent rotation of magnetic domain on reversal of external magnetic field due to the stronger interwire couplings. At lower temperatures, superparamagnetic contributions from very small nanoparticles in blocking state significantly improved saturation magnetization (Ms) from 0.101 to 0.205 emu and coercivity from 1354 to 1632 Oe. A mixed behavior of exchange bias has been manifested by the NWs at lower temperatures owing to the rearrangement of atoms between the interface of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic grains. This causes significant disturbance for pining effect resulting fluctuating exchange bias phenomenon.

Spin-dependent magnetism and superparamagnetic contribution to the magnetocaloric effect of non-stoichiometric manganite nanoparticles

Despite extensive research on manganites owing to their potential use in modern technologies, some aspects of their behaviour associated with changes in spin, valence, and charge states remain unclear. In this work, we investigated the structural, magneto-transport, and magnetocaloric properties of La0.8-x□xNa0.2Mn1+xO3-Δ manganite nanoparticles with strong spin-electron coupling. It was found that the perovskite structure contained different valence manganese ions, MnB3+, MnB4+, and MnA2+, even in the pristine compound. With an increase in x, increases in the Curie temperature TC, spontaneous magnetization, and magnetic entropy change ΔSM, as well as a decrease in the metal-semiconducting temperature Tms, were detected. The change in the spin value of Mn ions during the transition from ferromagnetic-metallic (μFMexp < μFMtheor) to the paramagnetic-semiconducting (μPMexp > μPMtheor) state owing to the localization–delocalization process of eg-electrons on the Mn sites was found to indicate spin-dependent magnetism. The complex critical behaviour is manifested near TC with a second-order phase transition. An additional influence of the super-paramagnetism of nanoparticles on the magnetocaloric effect was determined.

Polymorphism of the Co-Te nanophases in mechanochemical synthesis.

The mechanochemical synthesis of all cobalt tellurides' phases is demonstrated in this work. The samples had their structural, microstructural, and magnetic characterizations performed by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetometry techniques. The initial atomic stoichiometries tested of Co32Te68 and Co40Te60 resulted in the synthesis of the γ-CoTe2 Pnnm (marcasite), α-CoTe2 Pa3̄ (pyrite), α-CoTe2 P3̄m1 (CdI2-like), and β-CoTe P63/mmc phases with different weight proportions in the sample. Modeling of the X-ray diffractograms employed conventional double-Voigt and crystallite shape-anisotropy DV approaches to show that the volumetric diameter average and true crystallite size of the diffraction domains are in the range of tens of nanometers. Transmission electron microscopy measurements also allowed distribution counting of the crystallite sizes via maximum caliper diameter. Electron diffraction experiments presented comparable structural parameters with Rietveld via the analysis of the Debye rings. A model using the Langevin approaches showed the phases to present both ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic contributions attributed to weakly-interacting metallic Co grains with magnetic domain sizes ranging between 2.3 and 4.0 nm. The phases' evolution with storage time was analyzed over two years and revealed to be stable regarding their structural and microstructural properties.

Superparamagnetic contributions, optical band gap tuning and dominant interfacial resistive mechanisms in ferrites nanostructures

Nanocrystalline Ni-Zn ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) NixZn1−xFe2O4 have been synthesized followed by detailed analysis of compositional effects on morphology, crystalline phase formation, lattice constant, crystallite size, magnetic, optical and dielectric properties describing the underlying physics as well. Cubic spinel structure with (311) preferred orientation and switching trend in crystallite size variation with gradual decrease in lattice parameter (from 8.377 to 8.323 Å) with the increase in nickel content has been observed through calculations. The magnetic behavior of NPs has been investigated at lower temperatures up to 5 K illustrating significantly improved magnetic parameters including Ms = 36.8 emu/g, Mr = 3.61 emu/g, SQ = Mr/Ms = 0.1028, Hc = 115.33 Oe, μB = 1.5664 emu, and K1 = 2122.18 erg/g. This enhancement has been found possibly due to less thermal fluctuations and significant superparamagnetic contributions from the very small fine nanoparticles being in blocking state owing to such a cool environment. Optical band gap for both direct (1.74–1.39 eV) and indirect (1.25–1.16 eV) transitions shows decreasing trend with the increase in Ni contents probably due to the redistribution of Ni or Zn contents from octahedral to tetrahedral site. Dielectric constant (real and imaginary) and tangent loss decreased with the increase of frequency, this refers to the Maxwell-Wagner type of polarization in the material in accordance with Koop’s theory, however, a switching is observed at the stoichiometric ratio of x = 0.25 and 0.75. The impedance (Z′) has maximum value 5539 kΩ at x = 0.75 and a minimum value 682 kΩ at x = 1.0. The Nyquist plot pointed out the contribution of grain boundaries, however the contribution varies with the stoichiometric ratio x. The Cole-Cole plot confirms the contribution of grains in the material for all value of x.

Design of various Ni–Cr nanostructures and deducing their magnetic anisotropy

Understanding the effects of interparticle interactions is a vital problem because magnetic nanoparticles showcase a variety of magnetic configurations due to different contributions to their total energy. To derive reliable and robust properties from magnetic nanoparticles, it is, thus, necessary to understand the competition between particle anisotropy and interparticle interactions that define the magnetic state of nanoparticles, where size control plays an important role. Here, we apply the random anisotropy model (RAM) that considers various magnetic interactions to selectively prepared NiCr nanostructures (NiCr dense nanoclusters, nanogranular NiCr thin films, and Ag(NiCr) nanocomposites) with different interparticle interactions. The estimated single-particle magnetic anisotropy K values (2.82 − 12.3 × 104 J/m3) and careful analysis of magnetization behavior for these nanostructures reveal that orbital hybridization, surface segregation, and interface character govern the magnetic interactions among nanoparticles. Our study demonstrates how magnetic behaviors vary in these different magnetic systems consisting of superparamagnetic (SPM) and ferromagnetic (FM) contributions specific to magnetic interactions.

Quantification of pedogenic particles masked by geogenic magnetic fraction

Pedogenic magnetic fraction in soils is attributed to fine-grained particles, i.e. superparamagnetic grains. In the case of a strongly magnetic geogenic fraction, pedogenic magnetic contribution is hard to detect. To the best of our knowledge, detailed research into the masking of pedogenic superparamagnetic grains and quantification of this effect has not yet been carried out. The principal aim of our research is to quantify the influence of coarse-grained ferrimagnetic fraction on the detection of the superparamagnetic grains. In order to describe the masking phenomenon, volume and frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility were determined on a set of laboratory prepared samples composed of natural substances: a diamagnetic quartz matrix, detrital coarse-grained ferrimagnetic crystals from alkaline and ultra-alkaline igneous rocks, and superparamagnetic soil concretions formed in the Haplic Cambisol. Mineralogy, concentration, type and grain size of the tested material were described by parameters of environmental magnetism. The magnetic parameters distinguish both geogenic multidomain and pedogenic superparamagnetic grains. The magnetic signal of the superparamagnetic grains is gradually masked by the increasing proportion of multidomain grains of magnetite/maghemite. The experiment clearly describes the masking effect and brings new insight to studies dealing with strongly magnetic soils of natural and/or highly contaminated origin as a tool for estimation of superparamagnetic pedogenic contribution.

Structural, magnetic and Mössbauer studies of Nd 0.6Sr0.4FexMn1-xO3 perovskites

The effect of iron doping on the structural and magnetic properties of the manganite perovskites Nd0.6Sr0.4FexMn1-xO3 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) was studied. Auto-combustion sol-gel method was used to prepare the compounds. X-ray diffraction refinement indicated that all the compounds crystallized in orthorhombic single-phase with Pnma space group. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs revealed a group of packed grains of about 0.2–1.0 μm whereas the average particle size was found to be in the range of about 40–80 nm via transmission electron microscopy. The zero-field cooled and field cooled magnetization curves, under an applied magnetic field of 0.02 T, revealed that the samples with 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4 exhibit a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition with decreasing temperature while the samples with (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) do not demonstrate such phase transition. At room temperature the dependence of magnetization on the x iron concentration, as revealed by the corresponding M − H curves, can be interpreted as the cumulative result of changes in superparamagnetic, paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic contributions. 57Fe transmission Mӧssbauer spectra were recorded at room-temperature (295 K) and liquid nitrogen temperature (78 K) for all the samples. Iron ions were found to be present in these compounds exclusively in a paramagnetic high-spin Fe3+ state for 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5 at 295 K and for 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 at 78 K. At higher iron concentrations an antiferromagnetic state of iron clusters is formed due to the Fe3+ – Fe3+ superexchange interaction. Room temperature 57Fe quadrupole splitting was found to increase near linearly with the x iron concentration up to x = 0.6. For x ≥ 0.6 the formation of paramagnetic Fe4+ is observed at 295 K, which at lower temperatures undergoes charge disproportionation leading to the appearance of Fe5+ species as observed at 78 K. Perturbations of the magnetic state of iron ions was found to lead to substantial broadening of the Mössbauer absorption peaks of magnetic components, which is interpreted as the effect of nearest neighbor Fe5+ and Mn ions at 78 K, and as that of electron-hopping related Fe3+ - Fe4+ valence fluctuations at 295 K.

Observation of a superparamagnetic breakdown in gadolinium chloride filled double-walled carbon nanotubes

In this article, the magnetic properties of gadolinium chloride-filled double-walled carbon nanotubes (GdCl3@DWNTs) in the temperature range 2-300 K are explored. The temperature-dependent phonon frequencies of the G-band were studied from 80-300 K to investigate the effect of temperature on the magnetic ordering. Temperature-dependent susceptibility measurements show that the GdCl3@DWNTs sample has a pronounced superparamagnetic phase from 83 K. The temperature dependence of the G-band frequency for filled tubes exhibited a distinct difference compared to pristine nanotubes, where a sharp phonon hardening at low temperatures was observed. A correlation between the onset temperature of superparamagnetism and the abrupt G-band phonon hardening in the filled tubes was verified. GdCl3@DWNTs were characterized by a finite remnant magnetization at 300 K which decreased as the temperature was lowered because of the presence of the discontinuous magnetic nanoparticles, providing a superparamagnetic contribution characterized by an S-shaped non-saturating hysteresis loop at 2 K. Remarkably, the onset of superparamagnetism, marked by the bifurcation point, occurred at roughly the same temperature where the G-band phonon frequency showed a pronounced hardening at approximately 80 K, indicating a close correlation between phonon modes and spin clusters.

Neutron diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy studies for Ce doped CoFe2O4 nanoparticles

X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer effect (ME) spectroscopy and neutron diffraction (ND) were used to study the structural and magnetic properties of CoFe2-xCexO4 nanoferrites, where (x = 0.0 ≤ 0.1). The lattice parameter (a) and particle size (D) were obtained from Rietveld profile method. The particle size decreased with increasing the Ce content (x). The (ME) spectroscopy confirmed the magnetic order in all the studied samples, with the signature of increasing superparamagnetic contribution by decreasing (D). The cation distribution obtained from the (ME) spectroscopy suggested a partial inverse spinel structure for all the samples and the degree of inversion (δ) was calculated. The (ND) measurements for the samples with (x = 0.0, 0.01 and 0.07) supported the partial inverse spinel structure picture suggested by (ME) spectroscopy. The structure parameters obtained from both (XRD) and (ND) were in agreements.

Enhanced photocatalytic Activity of Ferromagnetic Fe-doped NiO nanoparticles

The Ni1-xFexO (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) nanoparticles (NPs) has been synthesized via composite hydroxide mediated (CHM) synthesis approach. The single phase formation of NiO NPs was achieved without any impurity phase confirmed by XRD and average crystallite size showed minor decreasing trend with increasing Fe doping concentration. FTIR spectra showed dip in 417-432 cm−1 range which confirmed the existence of Ni-O bonding. In Raman spectra, the weak two-magnon (2 M) band at 1472 cm−1 in pure NiO NPs indicate suppressed antiferromagnetism (AFM) due to smaller average crystallite size and superparamagnetic contribution from the uncompensated surface/core spins. The absence of 2 M band in Fe doped samples is due to onset of ferromagnetism in these NPs. The M-H loops showed the room temperature ferromagnetism in Fe doped samples due to double exchange interaction of mixed valance states of Fe. The energy band gap showed minor increasing trend with increasing Fe doping concentration and is mainly attributed to Moss-Burstein effect. The photocatalytic activity showed an increasing trend with increasing Fe doping due to generation oxygen vacancies which served as energy traps and restricted the electron-hole recombination. Therefore, the bifunctional ferromagnetic Fe doped NiO NPs are more favourable for photocatalysis along with their ability of collection for re-use in the degradation process.

A two-step fabrication and characterization of 1D hybrid ferromagnetic-multiferroic Ni – BiFe1-xCoxO3 core-shell nanostructures

Hybrid core-shell nanowires (NWs) with nickel as core and Co doped BiFeO3 (BFCO) as shell were synthesized by employing a two-step methodology. A noticeable exchange bias Hex phenomenon has been observed which clearly demonstrated the antiferromagnetic functionality of BiFeO3 shell material, was also observed. Both coercivity and exchange bias has shown slight increase after Co doping in BFO. This increase might be due to reduction in domain sizes of ferromagnetic material between layers of core-shell nanowires. At lower temperatures, the super-paramagnetic contributions play very important role to contribute to the overall magnetic behavior of core-shell nanostructures. It has been observed that easy magnetization axis was aligned along the NWs’ axis because of dominant shape anisotropy. Angular dependence of coercivity Hc has shown the coherent mode of magnetization reversal mechanism. This two-step methodology can be used to fabricate other similar hybrid nanostructures which can further be investigated for their possible implementation in device applications.

Physical and thermophysical properties of a commercial Ni–Ti shape memory alloy strip

Some physical properties like the thermal, thermomechanical, calorimetric, magnetic, and adhesive properties of a commercial shape memory alloy (SMA) with rectangular geometry were studied. Depending on the applied forces, there were identified range of elasticity, the elasticity–viscoelasticity coexistence domain, and the domain in which a maximum force of 18 N is applied, for the SMA strip. The controlled force module, in the tension mode, was used for the determination of the SMA strip elongation at application of the stretching forces from 0 to 13 N, at 30 °C, maintaining each static force value for 3 min. By employing the multi-frequency strain–stress modulus in the tension mode, DMA cyclic heating–cooling measurements were carried out. The measured dynamic mechanical properties for SMA strip were Storage Modulus, Loss Modulus, tanδ, and Stiffness, both at heating and cooling. Thus, the characteristic temperatures of the phase transitions (As, Af, Ms, Mf), of SMA strip were identified. Also, the values of the elasticity modulus (Young’s Modulus) of the SMA strip were calculated at 30 °C. With the DSC Q2000 device, using temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry method, a multi-step temperature variation program was applied to the rectangular strip in two stages (heating–cooling). Through the interpretation of heat fluxes (reversible, nonreversible, and total), the phase transitions in the formation of martensite, austenite, and also of the rhombohedral phase (R phase) and moreover enabled for the R phase identification, thermomechanical analysis confirmed the results obtained by classical DSC method. The adherence of some commercial azoic dyes on the rectangular SMA strip, as well as the modification of the surface roughness of the strip after the deposition of the dye, was also studied. By magnetic measurements, it was established that the SMA strip had magnetic properties at room temperature, in which magnetization is the sum of a superparamagnetic contribution and a paramagnetic term, linear in the intensity of the magnetizing magnetic field.

Ferromagnetism in Nanocrystalline SrCo0.9Mn0.1O3-δ: a Structural, Magnetic and Electrical Transport Study

The physical properties of the nanocrystalline SrCo0.9Mn0.1O3-δ sample prepared by citrate-gel method have been investigated. The sample crystallizes in rhombohedral crystal symmetry with space group R32/155. Temperature dependence of zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization exhibit paramagnetic to ferromagnetic (PM-FM) transition at 164 K. The high temperature and low temperature synthesized phases show different magnetic ground state. The deviations in magnetization data around magnetic ordering temperature are also studied using the Langevin function. This attributed to the presence of intrinsic superparamagnetic (SPM) nanocluster contribution. Temperature dependence of average cluster moment is calculated and found to be maxima near transition temperature. The temperature dependence electrical resistivity of the samples shows semiconducting-like behavior for the studied range of temperature. The conduction mechanism of the samples has been analyzed using Mott’s variable range hopping model to calculate the density of states in the vicinity of Fermi energy (N (EF)) and hopping distance (Rh). All electrical parameters vary systematically and are in good agreement with other reported semiconducting oxides.